Australian Open 2020: Day 3, Match Points

LEARNING

Paula Badosa will play a Top 10 player for just the third time when she meets Petra Kvitova. Both previous meetings have been against Kiki Bertens, which she lost in straight sets.

Kvitova has won seven of her last eight matches against Spanish players, though she did lost the last to Carla Suárez Navarro in New Haven in 2018.

WTA World No.1 Ashleigh Barty is seeking to progress through the second round of her home Grand Slam for the fourth year in succession.

Barty has never faced Polona Hercog before.

READ MORE: Getting to know you - Introducing Melbourne's Grand Slam debutantes

Defending champion Naomi Osaka has not played Zheng Saisai since the qualifiers of Madrid in 2016, a match she won in straight sets.

Zheng has two Top 5 wins to her name, though none since 2016. She beat Angelique Kerber in Doha that year and Agnieszka Radwanska at the Olympics.

If Caroline Wozniacki’s career is to continue beyond Wednesday, she will have to defeat Dayana Yastremska for the first time. She lost their only previous meeting in Cincinnati last year.

Petra Martic is aiming to reach the third round for the third time in succession, having failed to do so on her first eight visits to Melbourne. She made at least that stage in all four majors last year.

Julia Goerges holds a 1-0 career record against the WTA World No.14, having beaten her in Birmingham on grass last year.

Aryna Sabalenka holds a 3-0 career head-to-head record with Carla Suárez Navarro, though each of the last two meetings have gone to a third set.

No.16 seed Elise Mertens is aiming for a ninth successive visit to the third round of a Grand Slam event.

Sofia Kenin is aiming to make the third round of a major for just the fourth time – and the first in Australia.

READ MORE: Sharapova faces uncertain future: 'I don't have a crystal ball'

Having won the Shenzhen Open, Ekaterina Alexandrova is undefeated in six competitive matches in 2020. She is currently on a winning streak of 11, including the WTA 125K Limoges in December.

Anett Kontaveit holds a 10-8 career head-to-head record against Australians before her match against wildcard Astra Sharma.

No.18 seed Alison Riske has won both her trips to the second round in Melbourne, having fallen at the third hurdle on six occasions previously.

Maria Sakkari is hoping to move one step closer to a first appearance in the second week of a Grand Slam event when she faces Nao Hibino. They have never met before.

Elena Rybakina has already made the final in Shenzhen and won in Hobart in the first two weeks of the season. Her good form continued with a first-round win over Bernarda Pera.

Wang Qiang holds a 5-1 career head-to-head record against Fiona Ferro, which improves to 4-0 on hard courts. The Chinese won in straight sets at the latest US Open.

WEATHER

Overcast for much of the day, with a strong chance of showers to disrupt the later matches. Significantly warmer than on Tuesday, with temperatures expected to reach 32°C/90°F. 

TRENDING

ORDER OF PLAY

Click here for the full order of play.

READING

Kiki Bertens has opened up on her BBC column about considering retirement just a couple of years ago.

David Kane of www.wtatennis.com has spoken to Kristina Mladenovic about reprising her Fed Cup heroics at this year's Australian Open.

Sania Mirza has spoken to the Times of India about her comeback to professional tennis aged 33.

Sandra Zaniewska has taken to Medium to discuss the importance of identity in playing and coaching.

WATCHING